Navigating the quiet, eerie and dark long halls and passageways, I steadily went my way back towards Diana's room.
Although I was given a map for the layout of this mansion, exploring it for the first time will always make you doubt if you are going the right way or not.
"Let's see...."
According to the map there should be a staircase that leads to Diana's room. However I don't see any kind of staircase going up. All that I could see was a long dark hallway with lined up doors and paintings on the side.
Feeling that I am kind of lost in this hallway, I stopped walking and decided to observe what's around me.
Based on what I saw and understand from the map, the staircase should be around this area.
I stood still confused on what I should do. Did I perhaps read the map wrong? But everything from that woman's room to this area is aligned with the map. Is this map outdated?
What am I supposed to do here?
I then began pondering about the map and what I am currently seeing around me.
Hmmmm.....Wait.....
Since the place is full of doors, It is very likely that the staircase could be behind one of the doors here. So if that is true then that means I need to find the correct door, but it would be very bothersome to open every single one.
I looked at the map again and began comparing areas of which part is which to find my current location and also the correct door.
And of course as I did that, I continued walking to analyze the area more.
I walked for a bit more before suddenly stopping when something strange caught my sight.
I looked at it and was surprised by what I saw.
Hmmm?
Before me was a door reinforced with a metal gate in front of it. It was like two doors with 3 padlocks that sealed it from being opened.
Compared to the other doors, this one stood out from the rest.
If you see a place with a locked door like this, it's obvious to know that there is something important hidden or secured behind it.
And if I compare it back to the times in playing games like Horror games, what comes after unlocking a locked door should be an object, tool, or place that have a crucial role inside the game.
But wait.....
I then realized something.
If we are talking about a place that needed to be sealed up, doesn't that mean that this is the door that may lead towards Diana's room? I mean she is locked up after all.
And based on the map, it's very likely that this is the place that leads to her room.
But wait.....Something feels a bit off...
...
...
Isn't it a bit strange?
If this locked door goes to Diana's room, how was she able to go out and explore before getting captured?
Did someone leave the door open?
The only ones who have access to the keys of this door are the master of the house, then that wretched woman and then the head butler. Surely the master and that woman will never leave this door open seeing that they enjoy locking up Diana and torturing her.
So maybe the head butler?
No.....a head butler wouldn't be that sloppy and clumsy to leave a door that contains something important to his master.
Hmmmm.... Wait, what about the ones who served the so-called food? they go to Diana's room, right? But they shouldn't have the key, right?
Did they perhaps borrow the key from the head butler? and after giving the food to Diana, they left the place open by accident?
That seems very likely....
Well, I guess that enough thinking for now, that's not important anyways.
Once I was totally done convincing myself, I took out the metal ring with keys on it and began working to which key opens which lock.
I looked at them more closely but as I checked them one by one, the feeling of annoyance is beginning to well up inside of me.
...
....
What the heck....
....
Tsk.
All of them look the same!
Gahhhh! that woman, couldn't she just label these keys!?
At this rate I will need to try every key to open the lock.
I took a random key from the set and began inserting it to every lock, trying to see if it would unlock something.
But the first key failed. It didn't unlock any of the three locks.
Well....It's not always where you can do something right the first time.
Fine then next.....
I was about to take another random key but then I heard incoming footsteps coming from the other side of the hallway.
*Tud*
Huh?
I quickly stopped what I was doing and cautiously looked at the side where the sound was coming from while being fully alert and cautious to what may happen next.
The footsteps became much more clearer as it came closer to me. And it didn't take long before a tall old man wearing a suit came from the shadows while holding a lamp in his hand.
"Ohhh?..."
Once he recognized my appearance, his eyebrows raised in surprise before quickly adjusting his posture and bearing.
"My lady?"
The old man spoke as he saw me standing there while blankly looking at him.
Ohh wait....He is kind of familiar.
This man.....If I remember correctly, he is the head butler from before right? Is he perhaps doing a final check before retreating back to his quarters and resting? Well I guess it seems like it.
"Good evening my lady."
The head butler spoke again while bowing his head as he greeted me in a calm and collected manner.
.....
What am I supposed to say here? How should I act? Wait, do I even need to reply or not? How does this woman treat this person? Maybe I should be arrogant.
Many questions were running through my head but fortunately the head butler spoke first again.
"Are you perhaps planning to visit the child this late at night?"
As he mentioned the word 'child', I furrowed my eyebrows for a little and looked at him more seriously.
He can tell huh, Well obviously, why should his master stand in front of the door of the child at night if she is not going to the child's room and likely to do abusive stuff.
"I see..."
Without me saying anything, the butler then followed up with a nod as if he already expected what I was gonna reply with.
"Let me open this for you then my lady."
The head butler slid his hand to his pocket and took out a set of keys before moving to the door in front of me and began unlocking the door.
It didn't take long before it was finally opened leaving me a bit amazed to how he quickly unlocked it.
He then turned to me once again and bowed his head.
"Shall I accompany my lady upstairs?"
Hmmm....
I don't really want it to be honest. I just want to check up on Diana to see if she is doing fine while I am gone.
No wait.
Should I just accept him and then kill him later while we are on the way to the room? No. It would be too suspicious if someone looked for the head butler the next morning and couldn't find him. Not to mention the woman who I just killed a while ago, if important people quickly disappeared then it will immediately alert the people here.
.....
"No need."
I said with a bit of an arrogant tone in my voice and crossed my arms while annoyingly looking at him to match my impression to how this arrogant woman acts.
"Understood."
The head butler nodded again and took a step back to the side away from the door.
And with that, I gestured to the head butler with a swoosh as if telling him to leave before I then entered the door which led upstairs.
....
....
It took a while before I finally reached the end of this path. There was a door with a lock before the end of this corridor and with this, I could tell that I am finally back to Diana's room.
I took a careful glance around my surroundings and finally released a relaxed sigh before turning back to my original doll form appearance.
I can finally take a breather huh.
I did so many things a while ago so I can't help but feel a bit mentally exhausted.
But of course. I can finally take that break once I unlock this annoying thing on the door so let's get on with it already.
I then took the keys again and one by one tried to open the lock and luckily, it didn't take long before I finally unlocked it.
I twisted the knob and gently pushed the door. And what greeted me was a sad sight.
....
There I saw Diana with her blue eyes looking at me with a lonely and gloomy expression while sitting on top of her bed with both arms hugging her knees.
"Diana?"
"Doll san? Doll san!"
"Ehhh?"
And before I even do anything. her face quickly brightened up when she saw me as if her gloomy expression was not there.
"Doll san!"
She gladly called out to me as she jumped out from her bed before leaping towards me without any hesitation.
"Unnya"
"Woah there! It's dangerous to leap like that, you know."
Before I knew it, I caught and embraced her inside my arms.
She then immediately buried her face on my chest and embraced me without saying anything.
"Diana?"
"...."
Sensing that she won't say anything, I then put my hand on top of her head and started caressing her hair gently.
A long while passed as I embraced her while patting her head. And as the time went by, I couldn't help but be bothered by this awkward silence.
"Did something happen while I was gone?"
I asked in a calm manner as I continued stroking her hair.
"Nnnn."
She shook her head while still being buried in my chest before slightly pulling away for a bit to look at me with a troubled look on her face while still loosely embracing me.
"I can't sleep...."
She said in a meek voice as she hid her face by looking away.
"Can't sleep?"
I repeated as I tilted my head to the side.
"Unnn...."
She cutely nodded and looked down towards the ground.
Seeing this expression of hers makes her look so adorable in my eyes. It made me smile inwardly before patting her head once again.
Gosh....I wonder how a person could be this cute.
"Fufufu, were you perhaps too eager to escape? to the point it can't make you sleep?"
I could completely understand if that's her reason. Because I know the feeling of not being able to sleep if you are eagerly waiting for the next day to come.
But contrary to my expectation, she shook her head.
"Nope."
Not that? If that is not the case then why can't she sleep? no wait could it be that she slept before and then woke up again after having a nightmare? That could be possible right.
While I continued to think about various reasons, Diana spoke up once again.
"I....I was thinking about doll-san."
"Eeh?"
My hand that was stroking her hair froze after I heard her reason.
She was thinking about me?
"Well uhmm... I was just scared if something bad happened."
Her voice became thinner and thinner maybe because of her embarrassment as she said those words.
....
Fufufu.
I was just smiling to myself as I thought about her worrying about me.
Come to think of it, This might be the only time when someone was worrying about me.
In my past life. I guess my so-called parents didn't have the time to worry about me that much....
They just let me do whatever I want. But in all honesty, I think they aren't even paying attention to whatever I was doing.
But right now....Having someone who worries about me. It doesn't feel bad.
I patted Diana's head again with a gentle look on my face.
Ahhh really....Just what am I going to do with you?
"By the way, Doll-san."
"Hmmm?"
I tilted my head once again as she called me while tugging the sleeves of my dress. She looked at me with eyes full of curiosity and then asked.
"How was it outside?"
Since I originally left to scout this place. It's no surprise that Diana will ask about my findings, especially the way out of this place.
I then recalled every information I learned and then decided which one I should say first. But of course, I won't mention the people I killed a while ago. It's not something a child should hear anyway. Not for her at least.
"Well based from what I saw, the gate of this place is heavily guarded by knights so we might go another way."
"Another way? Did doll-san find a hidden path?"
Diana's eyes revealed an interested look as she thought about a hidden path. But unfortunately, that's not the case at all.
"I won't really say it's a hidden path but rather a wall."
"Nnnn?"
She then looked at me confused.
"Well, to put it in simple words, we might need to climb it with the help of a ladder."
"Ohhh I-I see...."
After hearing what I discovered outside, Diana turned her gaze down and became quiet. She stood there as if she was pondering about something.
…
She then spoke in a low and doubtful tone.
"Can we really escape from this place?"